REVIEW: “Blessing” by Jennifer Lyn Parsons

Review of Jennifer Lyn Parsons, “Blessing,” Luna Station Quarterly 48 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Kira is a member of Clan Thrush, a nomadic clan that serves the local communities as monster hunters. But after the death of her friend Thom in a monster-hunt gone bad, she leaves the Clan and strikes off on her own. But no matter how long she wanders, she cannot escape her grief for her friends and family who have died: Only the lady of death can remove that grief for her, and only Grannie’s songbirds can help her find the lady.

There was a lot of meandering in this story, a lot of retrospective references to isolated events, that never quite came together. The pace was very slow, with very little happening, and when things did happen, it was to characters who felt rather flat. This story didn’t really work for me.

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REVIEW: “Ornithomancy” by Elizabeth Hinckley

Review of Elizabeth Hinckley, “Ornithomancy,” Luna Station Quarterly 48 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Tirza has won a lottery place in the next emigration to Sumeria and is unhappy about leaving her father behind, so she goes to an ornithomancer for advice (Ornithomancy is sort of like tarot, but with birds instead of just cards — but unlike ancient Greek divination, doesn’t involve any entrails.) The advice she gets forces her to confront her relationship with her father, in a way which I found extremely personal and touching and very real. Not every person is cut out to be a parent; not every person is very good at being a child. And yet, Tirza and her father find, in the end, a way to make it work. I liked the raw edges of this story, and its hopeful ending.

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REVIEW: “The Prince & the Raven” by Rebecca Burton

Review of Rebecca Burton, “The Prince & the Raven,” Luna Station Quarterly 48 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

I would have liked this fairy tale-esque story better if it hadn’t taken all the frustrating bits of fairy tales instead of the good ones: The woman who sees a prince from the distance and falls hopelessly in love; the prince who has to marry or lose his lands, but cannot find a woman interesting enough. I love fairy tales, both traditional and modern, but cis-normative patriarchy-enforcing ones always end up disappointing me. This one tried to subvert those stereotypes, in the end, but not soon enough for it to be convincing.

But there was one very beautiful line in it, when the Moon tells the Raven-Maid: “Don’t lose your self as well as your heart.”

Good advice.

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REVIEW: “Syrup-Tapping Season” by Laney Gaughan

Review of Laney Gaughan, “Syrup-Tapping Season,” Luna Station Quarterly 48 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

When I think of tapping maple trees for syrup, the last thing I think is: “Ah, yes, horror.” And yet, Gaughan’s story is deliciously horrific, full of creepy uncertainty and spreading terror. Totally incongruous, the setting and the genre, and thoroughly satisfying.

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REVIEW: “The Groupies (1974)” by Meghan Louise Wagner

Review of Meghan Louise Wagner, “The Groupies (1974),” Luna Station Quarterly 48 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Animal death, drug use, violence.

Didi and her friend Bella are the titular groupies, hanging out with the band Die Obscure whenever they can. This story exudes all the hormones, angst, and uncertainties of teenagers in the 70s, with an added layer of entirely unexpected magic. It’s part glorious, part sordid, and I loved it.

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REVIEW: “Keep Your Eyes on the Horizon” by Alyssa Villaire

Review of Alyssa Villaire, “Keep Your Eyes on the Horizon,” Luna Station Quarterly 48 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Nell is the keeper of the lighthouse, charged with watching vigilantly for the day the enemy will come to destroy her home of Greyisle. Her mother trained her and helped her prepare for her destiny, before she died. Now the day — and the enemy — has come, and he is nothing like what Nell has trained to defeat.

I really loved this story and the way the characters force the reader to question who is the hero and who is the villain, and how the stories we are told and tell ourselves about our destinies are not always true.

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REVIEW: “The Hawk and the Wren” by Kristina T. Saccone

Review of Kristina T. Saccone, “The Hawk and the Wren,” Luna Station Quarterly 48 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Two little girls, growing up playing pretend, one the hawk, the other the wren. One grows up to fly planes in WW2, the other grows up to be a witch. This was a lovely fantasy adaptation of the Night Witches, playing neatly on the name and bringing to life the magic of flying.

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REVIEW: “Jane and the Crows” by Jen Mierisch

Review of Jen Mierisch, “Jane and the Crows,” Luna Station Quarterly 48 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

For twelve months after the death of her sailor husband John, crows plagued Jane, until she is driven into the woods to seek the answer to the mystery of his final voyage.

This story was quite short, and felt very sparse. I’m not sure that was necessarily to the story’s benefit.

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REVIEW: “Candide; Life-” by Beth Goder

Review of Beth Goder, “Candide; Life-”, Clarkesworld Issue 179, August (2021): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

A hauntingly beautiful story. The August issue starts off strong!

Seva is a lovely person – a focused, determined, and talented musician. One day, she experiments with a different form of art called emotion capture, one that she has no training or practice in.

Self-doubt is but a natural part of the process of learning something new, but having people who support you goes a long way. Here, it goes in the other direction. But strength comes to us in many different ways, and so it does for Seva as well.

A story about different types of art, trust, self worth, emotions, feelings, and the particular feeling of taking a leap of faith.

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REVIEW: “Omen” by Katrina Carruth

Review of Katrina Carruth, “Omen,” Luna Station Quarterly 48 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Cissa is the daughter of an Augur, forced into hiding when the evil king came to power, enslaving all the Augurs to his purposes or driving them away. Cissa herself isn’t an Augur because only men can be Augurs, but she’s still guilty by association. There is no hope of escape, no hope of any future for Cissa, only endless hiding, so one day she decides to take matters into her own hands, go to the river and collect the moss beans whose noxious gasses can incapacitate or kill. But before she can safeguard the beans, she is captured, and brought before the king.

Of course, we know — the narrative demands it — that the evil king will not triumph, and that Cissa will find the power she needs to defeat him. What wasn’t obvious until it happened was how she would do it, and that resolution, when it came, was appropriate and satisfying. A solid story.

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